Lukaszuk warned the province's restaurant industry will see an immediate impact and accused the federal government of overreacting.

"It definitely appears to me as somewhat of a kneejerk reaction, a decision made in the evening without even advising provinces of such — communicated, frankly, through the media.

"(It's) not the way I would conduct business, without a doubt."

Gil McGowan, with the Alberta Federation of Labour, welcomed the moratorium even if, as he says, it was motivated by political damage control and not genuine concern for foreign workers.

"The focus of Canadians who are angry about this program should be firmly on the federal government which put these rules in place, rather than on employers like McDonald's and Tim Hortons who have simply exploited those rules."

McGowan said the program is being abused in many other industries and believes wages for all Canadians are suffering as a result.